Breaker reel



June 20, 1939. L. L. LUDINGTON BREAKER REEL Filed Jan. 2'7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented June 20, 1939 PATENT oFF cs BREAKER REEL Lawrence L. Ludington', Muncie, Ind., assignor to George A. Ball, Muncie, Ind.

Application January 27, 1937, Serial No. 122,607

8 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of treating vegetable fibers such as flax, hemp, sisal grass, and the like, and more particularly to improve ments in a machine for mechanically breaking the stalks at regularlyspaced'and relatively short intervals throughout the length of the stalks and for combing or scutching the woody portions or hurds from the fibers.

The principal object of this invention is to provide mechanical means for .breaking the woody stalks of fibrous materials without break- .ing, stretching, straining, or otherwise injuring the fibers carried thereby, and for effectively X combing the broken woody portions of the stalks fromthe fibers whereby prime fibers substantial- .ly free from sticking hurds and of substantially the full length of the stalks are produced.

Another object is to provide a mechanical breaker or scutcher in which the breaking and scutching operations areperformed by two oppositely rotating reels, each having longitudinally extending and progressively offset breaker bars or beaters with the bars of one reel offset in the opposite direction from the bars on the other reel, whereby the successive offset portions of the bars will be successively brought into cooperating relation with each other on the rotation of the reels to effect the breaking and combing action. 7

A further object is to provide a pair of breaking and scutching reels which are of different diameters and are driven at different peripheral speeds to effectively comb the broken hurds from the fibers.

A still further object is to provide a breaker or scutcher for removing the woodyportions from stalks of fibrous material in which a flow of air is induced through the reels, by the rotation thereof, and directed away from-the reels 40 for the purpose of carrying the treated fibers away from the periphery of the revolving reels and prevent the fibers from winding thereon.

A still further object is to provide a breaker or scutcher for removing the woody portions from stalks of fibrous material in which at least one of the reels is provided with means for counteracting the vacuum which has a tendency to form at the back of the beater bars, by directing a current of air along the trailing edges of the bars which supports and carries the fibers away from the periphery of the reels and prevents their winding thereon.

These and other objects which will hereinafter be made readily apparent to those skilled in this particular art are accomplished by means of this invention, one embodiment of which is y described in the following specification and. illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where-. in:

Figure l is a plan view of a decorticating ma- Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of my improved beater or scutcher reels.

Figs. 3 and 3a, are sectional views taken on line'IIL-III of Fig. 2; r

Fig. '4- is an enlarged sectional view taken on line l'V-IV of Fig. 2 and showing the construction of the upper beater reel,; and

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation illustrating the mechanism for driving the beater reels.

Referring in particular to Fig. 1 of the drawings, T represents the table of. a decorticating machine over which'the stalks of fibrous material to be broken' and scutched are. adapted to be conveyed. The stalks are arranged transversely of the table T and are conveyed thereacross (from the right hand to the left hand end of the machine illustrated in- Fig. 1) by means of endless conveyor chains CCl which are mounted above the table and which crimp the stalks, intermediate their length, over spaced rails R mounted on the table underneath the chains C-C l.

The chains C-Cl which are driven in the same direction from a suitably driven shaft I to which they are. connected through a series of chain, sprocket, and shaft elements 2, 3, and 4, are arranged in staggered or overlapping relation so that the stalks will be first. engaged and conveyed a portion of the length of the table T by the chain C and will then be transferred, at a point intermediate the ends of the table, to the chain Cl which conveys the fibers the remaining length of. the table T. As the stalks are conveyed lengthwise of the table, the ends thereof project a progressively greater distance beyond diagonal edges 5--5a on opposite sides of the table T and extend between. oppositely rotating reels or breakers BBl', which are positionedadjacent thediagonal edges 5--5a, respectively, and which break the stalks over the table edges 55w and scutch the hurds or broken woody portions from the fibers.

The diagonal edges 55a are so formed on the table T that the rear end of the edge 5 is substantially opposite the front end of the diagonal edge 5a and as a result of. this construction and of the overlapping of the chains CCI, it is apparent that the treated fibers leaving the breaker B will be engaged by the chain Cl and the portion formerly engaged by the chain C will pass through the breaker Bl whereby all portions of the stalks will be acted upon by the breakers BBl.

Each of the breakers B-Bl (Fig. 2) are of similar construction and comprise .a small upper reel 20 and a large lower reel which are continuously rotated in opposite directions to break the woody portions of the stalks projecting between the reels and scutch the broken hurds from the fibers.

The top reel 20, which is of smaller diameter than the bottom reel 30, comprises a cylindrical member 2! keyed at each end on a shaft 22 which is journaled at each end in a member 23 which forms the housing for the breaker BB|. The cylinder 2| carries four radially projecting and circumferentially spaced composite beater bars, each of which is formed of a series of relatively short web-like members 24a which are longitudinally and successively offset in the same direction and have their contiguous ends joined together by suitable web-like members 241). Thus, the members Z ta-24b form a composite beater bar which extends lengthwise of the cylinder 2| and is offset at intervals in the same direction to provide a series of steps in said bar.

The ends of the cylindrical members 2! are provided witha series of openings 25 and the body of the cylinder is provided with openings 26 adjacent therear face of each of the elements 24a,the purpose. of which will be hereinafter more fully described.

The lower reel 30 comprises a central shaft 3i which is journaled in the housing 23 below and slightly in front of the shaft 22 which carries the upper reel 20. The shaft 3| has a series of members 32 at spaced intervals along the length thereof each'of which is provided with a series of ten radially projecting and spaced arms 33. Each succeeding member 32 is turned slightly on the shaft 3l'so that the front face of each of the arms 33 on each succeeding member is substantially aligned with the rear face of the arms 33 on the next preceding member 32. The arms 33 on the succeeding members 32 are joined together by bars 34; one end of each bar 34 is attached to the rear face of an arm 33 on one member 32 and to the front face of an arm 33 of the next succeeding member 32 whereby a series of ten circumferentially spaced breaker bars are provided which extend lengthwise of the reel 30 and are regularly and successively offset in the same general direction. The bars 34 on the reel 30 are offset in the opposite direction from the offsets in the bars on thereel 2t and as a result, as the reels are rotated in opposite directions, successive bars 2411. on the reel 2!] come into cooperating relation with successive bars 34 on the reel 30. I i

. The shafts 22 and 3| are so arranged and spaced vertically, that as the reels 20 and 30 rotate in opposite directions, the bars 240. will project between and overlap with the bars 34 on the reel 30 and in order to permit the reels to rotate freely without interference between the beater bars on the two reels, the members 24a are of such length and are so positioned that the webs 24b pass by the outer faces of arms 33,

The breakers BBI are preferably so posi tioned adjacent the diagonal edges 55a of the table T that the bars 24a of the upper ee s .20

first come into contact with the ends of the fibers projecting beyond such edges and break the stalks downwardly over that edge of the table. The broken ends of the stalks are then picked up by the bars 34 on the lower reels 30 which are rotating in the opposite direction from the reels 20 and since the bars on the reels overlap .a combing action is produced which strips the hurds from the fibers, as they move lengthwise through the breakers BBl.

Since the upper reel 20 is provided with only four circumferentially spaced breaker bars 240 While the lower reel 30 has ten such breaker bars 34, it is apparent that the upper reel must be driven 2 times as fast as the lower reel 30 in order that one of the bars 24a; will project between each of the bars 34 on the arms 3!] and to secure this timing, the shafts 22 and 3| of the reels 2!) and 30 of each of the breakers B--Bl are connected by a series of gears 36 having the required ratio and the gears 36 are driven from a continuously driven shaft 31, one end of which is geared directly to the gears 35 connecting the shafts 22-3l of the breaker B (Fig. 1). The gears 36 connecting the shafts 22-3! of the breaker Bl are driven from the shaft 3'! through the belt and pulley elements 3B39 and the shaftwhich is geared to the gears 36 of the breaker Bl.

Decorticating machines have been made heretofore in which oppositely rotating reels were employed to break and scutch the woody portions of the stalks from the fibers. However, these machines have not been entirely satisfactory, due, primarily to the fact that the fibers had a tendancy to wind on the periphery of the reels. *I believe that the difficulty encountered in these machines, all of which have reels of open construction, results from the creation of a partial vacuum along the trailing edges of the rapidly rotating beater bars which tends to pull the fibers into the reel and cause them towind thereon. However, with breakers constructed in accordance with my invention, such winding of the fibers on the reels is prevented since a current of air is induced to flow through the openings 25 into the interior of the cylinder 2| on the rotation of the reels 20 which is discharged through the openings 26 at the rear or trailing faces of the solid bars 240. and not only counteracts the vacuum at that point but also carries the fibers away from the periphery of the reels 20 and 30 since the. air discharged through the openings 26 along the trailing faces of these bars is'directed or passes outwardly from the reel in front of the'next succeeding bar (Fig. 4) supporting and carrying the fibers away from the rotating members and preventing the winding thereon.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that an apparatus made in accordance with my invention will effectively remove substantially all the woody matter from the fibers without breaking, weakening, or otherwise injuring the fiber to any appreciable extent and that as a result, prime fibers of substantially the full length of the stalks will be produced.

Further, as a result of the induction of a current of air through the reels and directing it away from the reels the treated fibers will be supported and carried away from the periphery of the reels and winding thereon is prevented.

While I have described one embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that certain other modifications, changes, omissions, and substitutions ma be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention and the scope of the appended claims,

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus of the character described comprising a shaft, a series of spaced spiders on said shaft, and bars connecting the outer ends of the arms on adjacent spiders, one end of each of said bars being secured to the front face of an arm on one spider and to the rear face of an arm on the adjacent spider to provide a. longitudinally extending beater having regularly recurrent offsets therein.

2. A beater reel comprising a central shaft, a

series of spiders having radially projecting arms secured to said shaft at regularly spaced intervals, each succeeding spider being so mounted on said shaft that the front faces of the arms thereon are substantially aligned with the trailing faces of the arms on the preceding spider, and bars connected to the outer ends of the arms of adjacent spiders.

, 3. A beater reel comprising a central shaft, a series of spiders having radially projecting arms secured to said shaft at regularly spaced intervals, each succeeding spider being mounted on said shaft so that front faces of the arms thereon are substantially aligned with the trailing faces of the arms on the preceding spider, and beater bars between the arms of adjacent spiders, each bar having one end secured to the front face of the arm on one spider and to the trailing face of the arm on the adjacent spider;

4. A beater reel comprising ashaft, a series of members carried by said shaft each having a plurality of radially extending arms thereon, each of said members being so positioned on the shaft that the front faces of the arms thereon are substantially aligned with the trailing faces of the prising a. pair of oppositely rotating reels of different diameters, each reel having longitudinally extending offset beater bars thereon, the bars on said reels being offset in opposite directions, means for feeding fibrous material progressively between said reels, and means associated with one of said reels for holding the treated ends of said material away from said reels to prevent winding thereon.

6. Apparatus of the character'described, comprising a pair of oppositely rotating reels of different diameters, each of said reels having a series of beater bars extending lengthwise thereof and offset longitudinally to provide successive steps in each of said bars, the step on said reels extending in opposite directions, means for rotating said reels, and means for feeding vbrous material progressively between said bars.

'7. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a pair of oppositely rotating reels of different diameters, each of said reels having a series of beater bars extending lengthwise thereof and offset longitudinally to provide successive steps in each of said bars, the step on said reels extending in opposite directions, means for rotating said reels, means for feeding fibrous material progressively between said bars, and means for pneumatically supporting the treated ends of said fibrous material.

8. Apparatus for treating fibrous material, comprising a pair of oppositely rotating reels of different diameters, each of which is provided with a series of circumferentially spaced beater bars extending lengthwise thereof and offset longitudinally to provide successive'steps therein, the steps on said reels extending in opposite directions, means for rotating said reels, means for feeding fibrous material progressively between said reels, and means associated with the reel of smaller diameter for discharging air along the trailing edges of the bars carried thereby to carry the treated fibers away from said reels.

LAWRENCE L. LUDINGTON. 

